Our research involves the study of the hammerhead ribozyme, which is the smallest member, about 40 bases, of the naturally occuring family of RNA molecules that are capable of catalyzing the site-specific cleavage of RNA. The hammerhead has been intensively studied by experiments and has the potential of being used in gene therapy to cleave specific mRNAs. A major challenge is the understanding of the catalytic mechanism of the hammerhead ribozyme. In this study, the Computer Graphics Laboratory is very helpful for isplay and manipulations of the RNA molecule which is crucial to a detailed atomic understanding of the catalytic mechanism.